Bible Strands
Ezra 7:16
together with all the silver and gold you may find in all the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The decree addresses Ezra as he prepares to return to Jerusalem with a second group of exiles. King Artaxerxes instructs him to gather additional resources from the Jewish population in Babylon to supplement the royal donation.
The words — The Aramaic verb תְהַשְכַּח (tehashkach) translates literally to "you will find," paired with מְדִינַת (medi-nat) for "province" and בָּבֶל (Bavel) for "Babylon." The phrasing specifies that Ezra may collect whatever silver and gold the community voluntarily contributes.
The thread — This collection directive parallels the earlier assembly in Ezra 1:4, where survivors were told to bring silver and gold to Jerusalem. It also aligns with the voluntary giving pattern recorded in 1 Chronicles 29:6 and 1 Chronicles 29:9, where leaders and people contributed freely to the temple.
Why it lands — The text requires Ezra to account for every coin gathered from the province before purchasing sacrifices. It establishes that temple worship depends on documented, voluntary contributions rather than royal subsidy alone.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 29:6 Then the leaders of the families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.
- 1 Chronicles 29:9 And the people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given to the LORD freely and wholeheartedly. And King David also rejoiced greatly.
- Ezra 1:4 And let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”
- Ezra 1:6 And all their neighbors supported them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuables, in addition to all their freewill offerings.
- 1 Chronicles 29:17 I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You.
- Ezra 8:25 and I weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had offered for the house of our God.
- 2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
- 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.